The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-06-08
The Churches in the United states.

1t is sometimes asserted that Chris-
tianity is losing its hold upon the masses
i'll the United States. Statistics Show
that this is quito mistake. indeed, tb,
opposite of the assertion is amply shown
by the figures. The religious division
Of the census of 1880 has not yet been
published, SO that the public is deprived
of the figures made up from authorita-
two statements Of representatives. OF the
different branches of the Christian
Church But enough data are obtaina-
bic from other trustworthy sources 10
enable us to make fair estimate The
result of such estimate is to show that
the increase in churches, ministers and
communicates more than keeps pace
with the increase in population.
y computation Of the statistics OF the
churches Of the United States made four
years ago shows that Mt that time there
were 1860 churches, 81, 7l7 ministers
and l7,267, rs communicates, including
6,S32, ,95l Roman Catholics. These fig
urCs did rot include Mormons or Jews.
The year books of 1856 show that the
same religious bodies now number 1872,
l35 churches, 9l,9ll ministers and -,
OlS,97 communicates, allowing the
Catholic population to number 1000
900, which would be Il gain OF but lGT,
600 i'll four years. The net gain OF four
years is thus shown to be Is, 23J churches,
or at the rate OF 10! per day; 1,GlS, 799
communicates, or Mt the rate Of ,llT
every day, and 10, l9i ministers, or more
than 2,5UO Il year. Unless these figures
can be shown to be untrWstworthy, the
claim that the masses are falling away
from the churches is cohtradictcd.
1t is interesting to note the relative
strength of the various religious bodies
which figure i'll these statistics. The
Roman Catholics stand first, with II
different Methodist organizations come
Cos; the Bnptists third, with 3, 727, ,O2O;
Presbytorians fourth, with l,OS2, 1876;
Luthcrans fifth, with $40, $50; Congrc-
gationalists sixth, with l36,379, and
Episcopalians seventh, with I3O, ,53l.
The entire Protestant Church member
ship is placed Mt l2,Ol6,977. OF the
gains Of the last four years the Method
lists arc to be credited with more than
onc-half the ministers and with onc-third
of the churches and membership. The
growth of this body is enormous, it
having arisen within one hundred years
from a membership OF $1,000 to /, j32,
G5S ut the close of last year.
The churches of the United States, if
classified according to form of church
government, would naturally fall under
thrco heads, Episcopal, Congregational
and Presbyterian. In the first, which is
tho largest class, should be placed Cath
o!ics, Episcopalians, Mctlodists and Mo-
ravians their combined memberships
aggrogating II ,7S7, 773. The Congrcga-
tional polity includes Baptists, Congro-
gationalists, Advcnts, Friends and some
minor divisions of the MethodistS, with
an aggregate membership of 1920, ,il2.
Under the Presbyterian form come the
various Presbyterian bodies, as well rs
the Luthorans and Mcnnonitcs, with a
membership of 2,7l0,G32.
There is every reason to expect that
the growth in church membership will
increase rather than diminish. The
different church. bodies are improving
their methods both in extent and in
effectiveness. Sunday-schools have OF
late years become moro numerous, and
have become, too, better means OF pro-
noting tho growth of the Church.
Nearly one thousand preachers of Chris.
tianity are at work, and of late years the
standards of fitness for the ministry have
been very much raised. The Church
clergy as well as laity, is bottcr educated,
and for that reason is all the better fitted
to teach that morality without whicl
Chri.tianity cannot expect to cope with
it's enemies or to place its followers il
such light before the world as that they
may by their lives teach its all-important
lessons.
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